24th January 1916 Arthur is writing his last letter to Dollie before his leave begins on Wednesday night; meanwhile he has a mountain of work to complete for the CO; despite that he finds time to attend Mass and fellow … Continued

22nd January 1916 Dollie is anxious as she has not heard from Arthur for a few days; meanwhile he is relieved to be out of the front line action for a short while, and hopes to be home by next … Continued

20th January 1916 Arthur now has the time to write a decent letter to Dollie – there is much to report; he is currently an instructor (temporarily) at Divisional HQ; more importantly – his name has been put forward for … Continued

16th January 1916 Arthur tries to placate Dollie, as one of his recent letters to her has obviously been cut by the Army censor; Arthur is very pleased to hear brother Alfred has been awarded the MC – but he … Continued

15th January 1916 Arthur and his Company are now out of the front line and he is enjoying being in a “most luxurious cellar” which “boasts of a pukka door with a latch to it”, “a folding bed with my … Continued

13th January 1916 A quiet night and morning, with little shelling by the enemy; wet and windy weather; Arthur is busy instructing 3 Cadets from the OTC at GHQ – all previously experienced men from the ranks. Arthur to Dollie … Continued

12th January 1916 The cloudy weather has brought a return to the intense bombardment from the Germans as the British planes can no longer operate effectively; the trenches are “blown all over the place”, but fortunately there are not many … Continued

10th January 1916 An evening move for Arthur and his men up into the front line; the weather is fine; occasional strafing from the Germans; Arthur’s new army issue trousers arrive just in time to save his blushes! Arthur to … Continued